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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29165736">the stagger of your dagger</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/opaldawn/pseuds/opaldawn'>opaldawn</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Penumbra Podcast</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Established Relationship, F/F, Flirting, Knife Garters, Pre-Canon, Vignette</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 11:13:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,109</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29165736</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/opaldawn/pseuds/opaldawn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>She finds two of her favorite combat knives, one the first thing she'd ever stolen for herself, the other an anniversary present engraved with Buddy's name. Holding one in each hand, she feels a little more at ease already. They both fit perfectly into the holsters, too, and she smooths her skirt back down over them.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>"All right, Bud," she calls. "Prove me wrong about these dumb things, why don't you." </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>"Gladly," Buddy stands up from her seat in front of the vanity mirror. Rounding on Vespa, she looks at her with a glint in her eye before coming to stand just behind her. Her hands find their way to Vespa's hips, and she spins her around so they're face to face. </i>
</p>
<p>(Buddy and Vespa reach a consensus on how to accessorize for a heist.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Buddy Aurinko/Vespa Ilkay</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>The Penumbra Podcast Femslash February 2021!</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>the stagger of your dagger</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>heyo! this ones short and sweet. content warnings for lots and lots of knife talk and a decent amount of UST</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"They're really far more practical than you'd suspect," Buddy says almost offhand. It's an argument that they've rehashed over and over, but she never seems to get tired of it. Vespa's got an inkling of an idea why she feels so strongly about it, but that doesn't change the fact that she's never worn knife garters, and she's never planning on it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Sure, if you like stabbing yourself in the leg." She's sitting cross-legged in front of the bottom drawer of their armoire, digging through a really unnecessary amount of jewelry they've accumulated over the last few years. Looking for just the right eye-catching accessory for Buddy to wear to the gala, the perfect thing to match with the dress Vespa's chosen for her. Because, hell, they may be career criminals but that doesn't mean they can't have a little fun sometimes. And if the </span>
  <em>
    <span>fun </span>
  </em>
  <span>comes in the form of dressing each other up… well, it was Buddy's idea, but Vespa can't find it in herself to complain. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Darling, I've seen you conceal knives up your boot and in your bra and all manner of places far more dangerous than this." Buddy sighs in a way that tells Vespa she's already getting into character for her starlet role at the party tomorrow. "And they would go so perfectly with the skirt, as well… it makes me wonder whether perhaps you're simply determined to be contrarian."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Don't go breaking out the thesaurus now, Bud," Vespa says. "Can't I just, I dunno, sew a pocket into the skirt or something real quick? And not go in there looking like I lost a fight with a fishing net?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You never let me have any fun," Buddy says almost petulantly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>God. It might have been two years since they'd started… doing all this, whatever it was, but Vespa still isn't anywhere near immune to Buddy's charms. And she admits to herself that, okay, maybe she's being stubborn just for the sake of it. Just a </span>
  <em>
    <span>little. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Fine," she says, narrowing her eyes. "If I wear them, what'll you do for me in exchange?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Make a fool of myself staring at you and temporarily derail our entire heist, no doubt." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Sounds fair enough." She'll play nice, today. "Not like I'm gonna pass up an opportunity to embarrass you in public."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"And what about in private?" Buddy turns away from the mirror with a stupid smug grin, and Vespa almost considers taking back her agreement</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Bud, you know I don't need any fuckin'... </span>
  <em>
    <span>combat lingerie </span>
  </em>
  <span>to embarrass you in private." Still, she's almost intrigued by this point. Finding the weaknesses of the great Buddy Aurinko is a favorite hobby of hers, and by the way Buddy's been talking about this, well, she thinks she might be able to add the accessory to the list. "But fine. Give 'em here." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Of course, love." Buddy procures the garters from some drawer under her desk and tosses them to her. They're black lace, each one with two finely embroidered elastic straps connecting to a nice leather knife holster. One knife on each leg feels like overkill, a little, especially considering that she's not ambidextrous, but she doesn't have the energy to put up another fight about practicality.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As she lifts her skirt and pulls the garter up her left leg, she catches Buddy staring. "Hey," she growls with no real malice behind it. "Stop creeping on me or the deal's off."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Actually, darling, I was only making sure you knew how to put them on." Buddy's laugh is infuriatingly pretty as always, and Vespa can only manage to grumble something unintelligible. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Just don't look at me until I say to or I'll wear a… I dunno, a nun's habit to the party tomorrow." She hopes that Buddy doesn't catch the hint of nervousness in her voice. It's such a dumb thing to be worried about, she knows. But. Lace and leather and </span>
  <em>
    <span>pretty things </span>
  </em>
  <span>like this always get her on edge a little. Like she's not quite sure that… that they belong on her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It's fine. It's stupid, she tells herself, as she finds two of her favorite combat knives, one the first thing she'd ever stolen for herself, the other an anniversary present engraved with Buddy's name. Holding one in each hand, she feels a little more at ease already. They both fit perfectly into the holsters, too, and she smooths her skirt back down over them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"All right, Bud," she calls. "Prove me wrong about these dumb things, why don't you." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Gladly," Buddy stands up from her seat in front of the vanity mirror. Rounding on Vespa, she looks at her with a glint in her eye before coming to stand just behind her. Her hands find their way to Vespa's hips, and she spins her around so they're face to face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hello, love," she says, lips close to Vespa's forehead. "You look </span>
  <em>
    <span>beautiful.</span>
  </em>
  <span>"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her gaze flicks down to Vespa's thighs, where the lace of the garters and the points of the knives are just visible beneath the hem of her skirt, and the tip of her tongue comes out to wet her lips. If it were anyone other than Buddy Aurinko, Vespa would tell them to cut the theatrics and stop looking at her like that, but she finds she </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>doesn't mind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Uh." Vespa tries to think of something to say. "So, uh- stupid garters, huh? Useless and, uh, uncomfortable-" Her train of thought is derailed by one of Buddy's hands finding its way up her skirt to toy with the lace, the other slowly lifting the skirt up. The bedroom air is cool against Vespa's skin, a blush warm on her cheeks at the way Buddy gives a little admiring sigh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Darling," Buddy starts, "I was going to ask if you were happy to see me, but there seems to be a knife in your skirt." She breathes out a laugh, and Vespa doesn't even bother growling or glaring at her for the stupid joke. Not when she's looking at her like <i>that,</i> a little hungrily, a little smug, but mostly just so... fond. Adoring, she'd probably say.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"So are they everything you'd been dreaming about?" The question comes out a little more earnestly than she means it to, but Buddy's lips against hers and her wandering hands chase away every doubt from her mind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Not only that," Buddy tells her, as she presses a kiss to Vespa's jaw. "I'd wager quite a bit that they'll be everything I'm dreaming about for quite a while longer."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vespa may be stubborn, but she knows when she's beat. She lets Buddy prove her wrong. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>title from bryan scary's "shedding tears all over the place"</p>
<p>you like this fic? thought it was fun? love women? why not leave me a COMMENT and KUDOS and let me see!! and while you're at it, why not check out the other works in the femslash february collection? there's some good stuff in there</p></blockquote></div></div>
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